Trump heads to China this week to meet Xi as Iran war and trade disputes loom over summit – US politics live | Trump administration
Diplomatic minefield ahead of Trump’s visit with Xi Jinping in China
Vivian Ho
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.
Donald Trump He is scheduled to go to China this week to meet. Xi JinpingLeader of China. This will be the first time a US president has visited China in nearly a decade, with the last visit coming to Trump in 2017. But given what has happened so far in Trump’s second term, trade war and then a real war Iranian This led to a rapid rise in oil and gas prices around the world; The tone of this visit will probably be quite different.
Although the U.S. and China agreed in October to a temporary truce in the trade war that Trump launched last year, China’s response to tariffs that rose as high as 145% at one point (restricting rare earth exports that brought some U.S. factories to a screeching halt) was likely an unwelcome reality check for Trump; An event that reveals China’s true economic power.
There is also the issue of the influence of China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, on Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on China to “step in with some diplomacy” – essentially asking Beijing for help in the war Washington has started – while also backing trade representative Jamieson Greer. He said Trump plans to address this issue China’s energy purchase from Iran continues.
Last week, the United States imposed sanctions on several China-based companies for allegedly providing “satellite imagery to enable Iran’s military strikes against US forces in the Middle East” and enabling “the Iranian military’s efforts to secure raw materials related to weapons as well as applications in Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs.”
China opposed these sanctions on Monday, calling them illegal and unilateral, Reuters reported.
“We have always demanded that Chinese enterprises conduct business in accordance with laws and regulations, and we will strictly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference.
“The immediate priority is to absolutely prevent the resumption of war. rather than using the war to maliciously associate and denigrate other countries.”
More to come.
important events
Donald Trump is in Washington today before heading to China tomorrow.
We’ve been waiting to hear from the president several times. First at an event dedicated to maternal health in the Oval Office at 10:30 ET. He will then welcome Indiana University’s 2026 College National Football Champion to the White House at 4 p.m.
Donald Trump will arrive in Beijing this week knowing Xi holds all the cards
Simon Tisdall
Like an out-of-control wrecking ball, swinging back and forth wildly, Donald Trump He is destroying the international order without much thought about the consequences. Lacking coherent strategies, workable plans, or coherent goals, it moves erratically from one sensitive region, tense war zone, and complex geopolitical situation to another, leaving misery, confusion, and rubble in its wake. Typically, he claims false victory, demands that others repair the damage and pick up the tab, then looks around for something new to break.
The President will bulldoze the fraught standoff between China and Taiwan into another international minefield when he travels to Beijing this week for a two-day summit with the President. Xi Jinping. After a series of humiliating policy meltdowns in Ukraine, Gaza, NATO, Greenland and now Iran and Lebanon, the destitute Trump longs for a diplomatic success to show off at home. But his hopes for vote-winning trade deals have been overshadowed by the war of his last choice. If all-out conflict continues, he needs Xi to promise not to arm Iran and for Xi to continue the war. Strait of Hormuz It was opened as part of a controversial framework peace agreement.
Trump’s weak stance on summit fuels speculation Declining support for Taiwan This may be Xi’s price for playing nice.
Diplomatic minefield ahead of Trump’s visit with Xi Jinping in China
Vivian Ho
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.
Donald Trump He is scheduled to go to China this week to meet. Xi JinpingLeader of China. This will be the first time a US president has visited China in nearly a decade, with the last visit coming to Trump in 2017. But given what has happened so far in Trump’s second term, trade war and then a real war Iranian This led to a rapid rise in oil and gas prices around the world; The tone of this visit will probably be quite different.
Although the U.S. and China agreed in October to a temporary truce in the trade war that Trump launched last year, China’s response to tariffs that rose as high as 145% at one point (restricting rare earth exports that brought some U.S. factories to a screeching halt) was likely an unwelcome reality check for Trump; An event that reveals China’s true economic power.
There is also the issue of the influence of China, the largest buyer of Iranian oil, on Iran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called on China to “step in with some diplomacy” – essentially asking Beijing for help in the war Washington has started – while also backing trade representative Jamieson Greer. He said Trump plans to address this issue China’s energy purchase from Iran continues.
Last week, the United States imposed sanctions on several China-based companies for allegedly providing “satellite imagery to enable Iran’s military strikes against US forces in the Middle East” and enabling “the Iranian military’s efforts to secure raw materials related to weapons as well as applications in Iran’s ballistic missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs.”
China opposed these sanctions on Monday, calling them illegal and unilateral, Reuters reported.
“We have always demanded that Chinese enterprises conduct business in accordance with laws and regulations, and we will strictly protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises,” spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference.
“The immediate priority is to absolutely prevent the resumption of war. rather than using the war to maliciously associate and denigrate other countries.”
More to come.
